r3a Framelines

[Rhad the Man]

I've taken a few shots to see if the (50mm) framelines are off and-- they are. Seems I get a little more off the top and a little more off the bottom. But that seems to be unlikely, so maybe I'm just crazy and should actually setup a frameline test (little box and squares).

If by chance they are off.. is this a problem that can be fixed easily? It's a common/not-so-common problem depending on who you ask.

For the moment, it's not bothering me that much-- I just have to keep it in mind.

 

[Frank Granovski]

Most rangefinders are "off." This is what makes them special (heads and feet cut off). 😎

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Er...let's not confuse the newbie as to what should and shouldn't happen with a camera.

Do you have an example photo?

 

[Burkey]

Rhad - I shoot with an R3a and I do wear glasses. To me it appears that the actual postion of your eye in reference to the bright lines can affect where they appear to be. Good luck with your new Voigtlander.

 

[Rhad the Man]

Do you have an example photo?

Yes I do... although I'm not sure exactly how to post it here so I will have to put it in the gallery.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php?ppuser=4250&cat=500
(edit) picture was taken down since I got an answer.. and the underexposed, frameline test using the cross beams of my roof didn't really fit in amongst the other users pictures. Thanks for the consideration of help in anycase. (edit)

Rhad - I shoot with an R3a and I do wear glasses. To me it appears that the actual postion of your eye in reference to the bright lines can affect where they appear to be. Good luck with your new Voigtlander.

Yah.. I noticed that recently. I started moving my eyes perspective through the viewfinder and decided to just push my eye straight up against the glass-- I'm assuming thats the correct position.

But that is something I can explained since the framelines can't compensate for the photographers change of perspective throught them-- they are stationary/projected.

At least thats the rationale I've put into it.

But an explanation for why the 50mm framelines would be to small (both top and bottom) is not as easily understood.

 

[jlw]

But an explanation for why the 50mm framelines would be to small (both top and bototm) is not as easily understood.

When you say the 50mm framelines are "too small," do you mean that the actual picture contains more than you saw in the framelines?

If so, there IS an explanation for this. It's a safety factor.

It's impossible to make the framelines match the lens exactly, for a variety of reasons. (One important reason is that the lens' effective focal length increases as you focus closer, so a frameline that matched perfectly at one distance would not match at other distances.)

If the framelines ever showed more than you got on the final picture, you'd have a right to be upset; you might have framed the image carefully to show something at the edge, and then you'd discover that it was cropped out in your picture.

To avoid this, manufacturers set the framelines so they always show a little less than will be in the final picture. That way, the final image will include everything you saw within the framelines, plus a little extra (which you can crop off.)

 

[Rhad the Man]

Ah.. question answered.